---

Cyprus

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy in relation to the demand made by Mr. Denktash for recognition of Northern Cyprus as a pre-condition to discussions on the future of Cyprus. [121474]

Mr. Vaz: The UN proximity talks being held under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General are taking place on the basis of no pre-conditions. The UK continues to urge both parties to adhere to this important principle. The Government look to the Cypriot parties and all those with an interest in Cyprus to co-operate with Kofi Annan constructively and flexibly.

UN Millennium Summit

Ms Kingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department is making to contribute to the UN Millennium Summit in September. [121516]

Mr. Hain: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has worked hard to build international support for the UN Secretary-General's proposals for the Millennium Summit. We intend to publicise his recently published Millennium Report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website and to invite feedback on it. We helped fund a forum organised by the United Nations Association which sought to frame UK national civil society input to the UN's Millennium events. With DfID, we are also helping finance the Millennium Forum--the civil society companion event to the Summit.

EU Working Groups

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit in the Library a list of all the (a) current and (b) temporarily suspended working groups of the European Union, listing in each case (i) the mandate of and (ii) the grade of participants in each group; what is on the agenda of each group; which groups have been attended by a United Kingdom Minister for at least one meeting since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement on his policy on openness in such groups. [121511]

15 May 2000 : Column: 30W

Mr. Vaz: I refer the hon. Member to earlier questions on this subject from my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George), on 9 March 1999, Official Report, column 179W; from the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Boarder (Mr. Maclean), on 22 March 1999, Official Report, column 57W; and from Lord Pearson of Rannock, on 3 December 1998, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA56, and on 5 April 2000, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA137. None of the 28 Common Foreign and Security Policy Working Groups is suspended. The United Kingdom is represented by officials, with the necessary expertise, of varying grade, depending on the importance of the issues being discussed. No Working Group has been attended by a Minister. The Government favour the maximum possible transparency in all areas of EU business, including Common Foreign and Security Policy, and have consequently introduced procedures for the parliamentary scrutiny of all Common Foreign and Security Policy Common Positions and Joint Actions, and other politically important documents. The preparatory discussions within Working Groups are confidential, in order to preserve the negotiating position of the individual member state.

Ranger Anti-personnel Mines (DRC)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the use of Ranger anti-personnel mines in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [121979]

Mr. Hain: We have received no reports of the use of Ranger anti-personnel mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Penalty Clauses

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the contracts entered into with private sector companies for the provision of goods or services since May 1997 where penalty clauses were triggered for non-performance; and if he will make a statement. [122019]

Mr. Hain: Penalty clauses are not legally enforceable, but the FCO does include liquidated damages clauses in its contracts when this is appropriate. The FCO has a large number of contracts in operation at any one time, but details are not held centrally. A record of contracts where liquidated damages clauses had been enforced could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Diamonds (Sierra Leone)

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to work with other countries to block the sale on the world market of diamonds illegally mined in Sierra Leone. [121833]

Mr. Hain: We have taken a leading role internationally in arguing for measures to improve the transparency of the international diamond trade and prevent the proceeds from illicit diamond trading fuelling conflict, including in Sierra Leone. In doing so, we have consulted a number of countries in Africa and elsewhere. At the forthcoming meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers we will be pressing for

15 May 2000 : Column: 31W

agreement on further steps, including consideration of an international system to keep such diamonds out of the market.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to persuade (a) Israel, (b) India, (c) Pakistan and (d) Cuba to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. [121945]

Mr. Hain: Ministers and officials regularly raise this issue with the countries concerned. At the ongoing Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference the need for universal ratification of the NPT has been stressed in a number of documents, including the statement by the five Nuclear Weapons States and the EU Common Position and Statement.

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library each of the documents (a) produced by Her Majesty's Government or (b) referring to United Kingdom nuclear and non-proliferation policy, distributed by official delegations to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York on 24 April to 19 May. [121944]

Mr. Hain: We shall arrange for documents circulated by the UK delegation at the NPT Review Conference to be placed in the Library. We shall also place a copy of the final document of the Review Conference in the Library when it is available. This will contain all the documents issued at the Conference.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2000, Official Report, column 257W, what evidence he has evaluated of the extent of the financial interests of President Mugabe in OSLEG Private Ltd. [121617]

Mr. Hain: We have no information on President Mugabe's interests, or otherwise, in OSLEG Private Ltd.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of unallocated land which the Government of Zimbabwe currently holds. [121349]

Clare Short: I have been asked to reply.

The Government of Zimbabwe have not published details of unallocated land. It has been unofficially estimated that the Government owed 300,000 hectares of former commercial land farm land that has not been resettled.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Disabled People

13. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's policies towards the disabled. [120950]

15 May 2000 : Column: 32W

Mr. Bayley: We are committed to providing support and opportunities for all disabled people. We are introducing comprehensive and enforceable civil rights for disabled people and we are modernising the welfare system to help disabled people work and to provide better support for those in greatest need.

Local Exchange Trading Schemes

14. Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce a benefits disregard for local exchange trading schemes. [120951]

Angela Eagle: We welcome initiatives to improve social inclusion and want to remove unjustified obstacles to greater community participation where that will contribute to our overall welfare to work goals.

LETS schemes can help promote community participation and we are, therefore, carefully considering whether changes are needed to the treatment of credits earned through participation in LETS.

Housing Benefit Fraud

15. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in tackling Housing Benefit fraud. [120952]

16. Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on progress in tackling Housing Benefit fraud. [120954]

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Members to the oral answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Brooke) earlier today, Official Report, columns 5-6.

---